Pregnancy induced hypertension and umbilical cord blood DNA methylation in newborns: an epigenome-wide DNA methylation study.

OBJECTIVIES: Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) syndrome is a disease that unique to pregnant women and is associated with elevated risk of offspring cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and neurodevelopmental disorders in their kids. Previous research on cord blood utilizing the Human Methylation BeadChip or EPIC array revealed that PIH is associated with specific DNA methylation site. Here, we investigate the whole genome DNA methylation landscape of cord blood from newborns of PIH mother. METHODS: Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was used to examine the changes in whole genome DNA methylation in the umbilical cord blood of three healthy (NC) and four PIH individuals. Using methylKit, we discovered Hypo- and hyper- differentially methylated probes (DMPs) or methylated regions (DMRs) in the PIH patients' cord blood DNA. Pathway enrichments were assessed using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment assays. DMPs or DMRs relevant to the immunological, neurological, and circulatory systems were also employed for enrichment assay, Metascape analysis and PPI network analysis. RESULTS: 520 hyper- and 224 hypo-DMPs, and 374 hyper- and 186 hypo-DMRs between NC and PIH group, respectively. Both DMPs and DMRs have enhanced pathways for cardiovascular, neurological system, and immune system development. Further investigation of DMPs or DMRs related to immunological, neurological, and circulatory system development revealed that TBK1 served as a hub gene for all three developmental pathways. CONCLUSION: PIH-associated DMPs or DMRs in umbilical cord blood DNA may play a role in immunological, neurological, and circulatory system development. Abnormal DNA methylation in the immune system may also contribute to the development of CVDs and neurodevelopment disorders.

[Prokaryotic Expression and Bioinformatic Analysis of Rv3432c From Mycobacterium tuberculosis]. / ç»“æ ¸åˆ†æžæ†èŒRv3432cè›‹ç™½çš„åŽŸæ ¸è¡¨è¾¾ä¸Žç”Ÿç‰©ä¿¡æ¯å­¦åˆ†æž.

Objective: To express the protein enconded by the Rv3432c gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) in vitro by prokaryotic expression, to analyze the structure of the Rv3432c protein by using bioinformatics software, and to explore for new drug targets against M.tb. Methods: The Rv3432c gene was amplified by PCR using the genomic DNA of the inactivated M.tb strain H37Rv as the template and a recombinant plasmid was constructed with the expression vector pET-28a. The expression products were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and purified using affinity chromatography. The biological properties of Rv3432c were analyzed with Protparam, the Pfam online tool, SOMPA, Protscale, TMHMM Signalp 6.0, NetPhos3.1, SUMOsp 2.0, and SWISS-MODEL. Results: pET-28a-Rv3432c recombinant plasmid sequencing results were fully consistent with those of the target gene. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the fusion protein existed in the form of a soluble protein with a relative molecular mass of about 55×103, which matched the expected size. ProtParam analysis showed that the Rv3432c protein was hydrophilic (showing a GRAVY value of －0.079). Rv3432c was a protein with no transmembrane structural domains or signal peptide. The secondary structure of Rv3432c mainly consisted of random coils (39.78%) and α-helix (39.57%) and was relatively loosely structured. Conclusion: We successfully constructed a prokaryotic expression plasmid of the Rv3432c protein and analyzed its structure using bioinformatics, laying the foundation for further research on the role of Rv3432c in the pathogenesis and progression of tuberculosis as well as the identification of new drug targets against M.tb.

Advances in mRNA vaccines for viral diseases.

Since the onset of the pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have demonstrated outstanding performance. mRNA vaccines offer significant advantages over conventional vaccines in production speed and cost-effectiveness, making them an attractive option against other viral diseases. This article reviewed recent advances in viral mRNA vaccines and their delivery systems to provide references and guidance for developing mRNA vaccines for new viral diseases.

Revolutionizing viral disease vaccination: the promising clinical advancements of non-replicating mRNA vaccines.

The mRNA vaccine technology was developed rapidly during the global pandemic of COVID-19. The crucial role of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in preventing viral infection also have been beneficial to the exploration and application of other viral mRNA vaccines, especially for non-replication structure mRNA vaccines of viral disease with outstanding research results. Therefore, this review pays attention to the existing mRNA vaccines, which are of great value for candidates for clinical applications in viral diseases. We provide an overview of the optimization of the mRNA vaccine development process as well as the good immune efficacy and safety shown in clinical studies. In addition, we also provide a brief description of the important role of mRNA immunomodulators in the treatment of viral diseases. After that, it will provide a good reference or strategy for research on mRNA vaccines used in clinical medicine with more stable structures, higher translation efficiency, better immune efficacy and safety, shorter production time, and lower production costs than conditional vaccines to be used as preventive or therapeutic strategy for the control of viral diseases in the future.

Hephaestia mangrovi sp. nov., a novel endophytic bacterium isolated from Aegiceras corniculatum.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated CMS5P-6T, was isolated from a surface-sterilized bark of Aegiceras corniculatum collected from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, PR China, and investigated by a polyphasic approach to determine its taxonomic position. Strain CMS5P-6T was found to grow optimally with 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl, at 30 °C and pH 6.0-7.0. Substrate mycelia and aerial mycelia were not formed, and no diffusible pigments were observed on the media tested. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain CMS5P-6T showed high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 96.7 % to Hephaestia caeni DSM 25527T and Sphingomonas colocasiea CC-MHH0539T. The average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values between strain CMS5P-6T and H. caeni DSM 25527T were 78.0, 21.7 and 70.8 %, respectively. The average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average amino acid identity values between strain CMS5P-6T and S. colocasiea JCM 31229T were 74.0, 19.9 and 61.4 %, respectively. Phylogenomic analyses based on genome sequences showed that strain CMS5P-6T and H. caeni DSM 25527T formed a distinct cluster within the family Sphingomonadaceae and far away from S. colocasiea JCM 31229T. The DNA G+C content of strain CMS5P-6T was determined to be 65.6 mol%. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was found to contain meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid and ubiquinone Q-10 was identified as the respiratory lipoquinone. The polar lipids were found to comprise diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingoglycolipid and two unidentified aminolipids, and the major fatty acids were identified as C18 : 1 ω7c, C19 : 0 cycloω8c and C16 : 0. On the basis of phylogenetic, genomic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain CMS5P-6T can be concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Hephaestia, for which the name Hephaestia mangrovi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CMS5P-6T (=JCM 33125T=CGMCC 1.13868T).

Duck enteritis virus (DEV) UL54 protein, a novel partner, interacts with DEV UL24 protein.

BACKGROUND: UL24 is a multifunctional protein that is conserved among alphaherpesviruses and is believed to play an important role in viral infection and replication. RESULTS: In this paper, to investigate putative UL24-binding proteins and to explore the functional mechanisms of DEV UL24, yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) was carried out, and further verified the interaction between UL24 and partners by co-immunoprecipitation and fluorescence microscopy experiments. Interaction partners of UL24 protein were screened by yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) with the cDNA library of DEV-CHv strain post-infection DEF cells. A novel partner, DEV UL54 protein, was discovered by Y2H screening and bioinformatic. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments suggested that DEV UL24 interacted with UL54 proteins. And distribution of a part of UL54 protein was changed from nucleus to cytoplasm in DF-1 cells of co-subcellular localization experiments which also showed that DEV UL24 interacted with UL54 proteins. CONCLUSIONS: The interaction between the DEV UL24 and UL54 proteins was discovered for the first time. Thus, DEV UL54 protein as a novel partner interacted with DEV UL24 protein.

Construction and identification of a cDNA library for use in the yeast two-hybrid system from duck embryonic fibroblast cells post-infected with duck enteritis virus.

To explore and isolate genes related to duck embryonic fibroblast cells (DEFs) post-infected with duck enteritis virus (DEV), a cDNA library was established using SMART (Switching Mechanism At 5' end of the RNA Transcript) technique coupling with a homologous recombination method. The cells were harvested and total RNA was extracted at 48 h post infection. Then the mRNAs were purified and reverse transcribed to first-strand cDNAs using oligo (dT) primers (CDS III). Subsequently, long distance-PCR was performed, the double-stranded cDNAs were purified, and a transformation assay was carried out in that order. Eventually, a high qualitative library was successfully established according to an evaluation on quality. The transformation efficiency was about 2.33 × 10(6) transformants/4.34 µg pGADT7-Rec (>1.0 × 10(6)). The cell density of the library was 1.75 × 10(9) cells/mL (>2 × 10(7) cells/mL). The titer of the primary cDNA library and amplified cDNA library was 6.75 × 10(5) and 2.33 × 10(7) CFU/mL respectively. The numbers for the primary cDNA library and amplified cDNA library were 1.01 × 10(7) and 1.14 × 10(9), respectively, and the recombinant rate was 97.14 %. The sequence results of 27 randomly picked independent clones revealed the insert ranged from 0.323 to 2.017 kb with an average insert size of 0.807 kb. Full-length transcripts of DEV-CHv LORF3, UL26 and UL35 genes were acquired through sequence similarity analysis from the non-redundant nucleic acid or protein database. Five polyA sites were identified in the DEV-CHv genome. Also, a new transcript of 668 bp was found between the IRS gene and US1 gene of the DEV-CHv genome. Thus, we concluded that the constructed cDNA library will be a useful tool in proteomic analysis of interactions between the DEV and host DEFs, and discovery of biomarkers studies on the mechanism of DEV and subsequently exploitation original vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent or cure diseases.

The transcription analysis of duck enteritis virus UL49.5 gene using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR.

Duck enteritis virus (DEV) UL49.5 encoding glycoprotein N was a conserved gene. The transcription dynamic process of UL49.5 homologous genes in herpesviruses was reported. However, the transcription dynamic process of DEV UL49.5 gene has not yet been established. In this study, a real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (real-time qRT-PCR) assay was established to test the transcription dynamic process of DEV UL49.5 gene, and the recombinant plasmid pUCm-T/UL49.5 was constructed as the standard DNA. The samples prepared from DEV-infected (at different time points) and uninfected cell were detected and calculated. The results demonstrated that the real-time qRT-PCR assay was successfully established. The transcription product of DEV UL49.5 gene was first detected at 0.5 h post infection (p.i.), increased at 8 h p.i. and reached a peak at 60 h p.i. Our results illustrated that DEV UL49.5 gene could be regarded as a late gene. The transcription dynamic process of DEV UL49.5 gene may provide a significant clue for further studies of DEV UL49.5 gene.

The crosstalk between classic cell signaling pathways, non-coding RNAs and ferroptosis in drug resistance of tumors.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent oxidative cell death characterized by the lethal accumulation of lipid-based reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is distinct from apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. Extensive studies suggest that ferroptosis be critical in regulating the growth and drug resistance of tumors, thus providing potential targets for cancer therapy. The development of resistance to cancer therapy remains a major challenge. Ferroptosis is associated with cancer drug resistance and inducing ferroptosis has been demonstrated to reverse drug resistance. This review focuses on a detailed account of the interplay between ferroptosis and related signaling pathways, including the Hippo signaling pathway, Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway, Autophagy, and non-coding RNAs, which will shed light on developing the therapeutic role of regulating ferroptosis in reversing the resistance of cancer.

METTL16 controls Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus replication by regulating S-adenosylmethionine cycle.

Oncogenic Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) consists of latent and lytic replication phases, both of which are important for the development of KSHV-related cancers. As one of the most abundant RNA modifications, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and its related complexes regulate KSHV life cycle. However, the role of METTL16, a newly discovered RNA methyltransferase, in KSHV life cycle remains unknown. In this study, we have identified a suppressive role of METTL16 in KSHV lytic replication. METTL16 knockdown increased while METTL16 overexpression reduced KSHV lytic replication. METTL16 binding to and writing of m6A on MAT2A transcript are essential for its splicing, maturation and expression. As a rate-limiting enzyme in the methionine-S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) cycle, MAT2A catalyzes the conversion of L-methionine to SAM required for the transmethylation of protein, DNA and RNA, transamination of polyamines, and transsulfuration of cystathionine. Consequently, knockdown or chemical inhibition of MAT2A reduced intracellular SAM level and enhanced KSHV lytic replication. In contrast, SAM treatment was sufficient to inhibit KSHV lytic replication and reverse the effect of the enhanced KSHV lytic program caused by METTL16 or MAT2A knockdown. Mechanistically, METTL16 or MAT2A knockdown increased while SAM treatment decreased the intracellular reactive oxygen species level by altering glutathione level, which is essential for efficient KSHV lytic replication. These findings demonstrate that METTL16 suppresses KSHV lytic replication by modulating the SAM cycle to maintain intracellular SAM level and redox homeostasis, thus illustrating the linkage of KSHV life cycle with specific m6A modifications, and cellular metabolic and oxidative conditions.

Attenuated Salmonella typhimurium delivering DNA vaccine encoding duck enteritis virus UL24 induced systemic and mucosal immune responses and conferred good protection against challenge.

Orally delivered DNA vaccines against duck enteritis virus (DEV) were developed using live attenuated Salmonella typhimurium (SL7207) as a carrier and Escherichia coli heat labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) as a mucosal adjuvant. DNA vaccine plasmids pVAX-UL24 and pVAX-LTB-UL24 were constructed and transformed into attenuated Salmonella typhimurium SL7207 resulting SL7207 (pVAX-UL24) and SL7207 (pVAX-LTB-UL24) respectively. After ducklings were orally inoculated with SL7207 (pVAX-UL24) or SL7207 (pVAX-LTB-UL24), the anti-DEV mucosal and systemic immune responses were recorded. To identify the optimum dose that confers maximum protection, we used different doses of the candidate vaccine SL7207 (pVAX-LTB-UL24) during oral immunization. The strongest mucosal and systemic immune responses developed in the SL7207 (pVAX-LTB-UL24) (1011 CFU) immunized group. Accordingly, oral immunization of ducklings with SL7207 (pVAX-LTB-UL24) showed superior efficacy of protection (60-80%) against a lethal DEV challenge (1000 LD50), compared with the limited survival rate (40%) of ducklings immunized with SL7207 (pVAX-UL24). Our study suggests that the SL7207 (pVAX-LTB-UL24) can be a candidate DEV vaccine.

Identification of targets of JS-K against HBV-positive human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2.2.15 cells with iTRAQ proteomics.

JS-K, a nitric oxide-releasing diazeniumdiolates, is effective against various tumors. We have discovered that JS-K was effective against Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-positive HepG2.2.15 cells. This study used iTRAQ to identify differentially expressed proteins following JS-K treatment of HepG2.2.15 cells. Silenced Transgelin (shTAGLN-2.15) cells were constructed, and the cell viability was analyzed by the CCK8 assay after treatment with JS-K. There were 182 differentially expressed proteins in JS-K treated-HepG2.2.15 cells; 73 proteins were up-regulated and 109 proteins were down-regulated. These proteins were categorized according to GO classification. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that Endocytosis, Phagosome and Proteoglycans were the most significant pathways. RT-PCR confirmed that the expression levels of TAGLN, IGFBP1, SMTN, SERPINE1, ANXA3, TMSB10, LGALS1 and KRT19 were significantly up-regulated, and the expression levels of C5, RBP4, CHKA, SIRT5 and TRIM14 were significantly down-regulated in JS-K treated-HepG2.2.15 cells. Western blotting confirmed the increased levels of USP13 and TAGLN proteins in JS-K treated-HepG2.2.15 cells. Molecular docking revealed the binding of JS-K to TAGLN and shTAGLN-2.15 cells were resistant to JS-K cytotoxicity, suggesting that TAGLN could be an important target in JS-K anti-HBV-positive liver cancer cells. These proteomic findings could shed new insights into mechanisms underlying the effect of JS-K against HBV-related HCC.

Molecular characterization of duck enteritis virus CHv strain UL49.5 protein and its colocalization with glycoprotein M.

The UL49.5 gene of most herpesviruses is conserved and encodes glycoprotein N. However, the UL49.5 protein of duck enteritis virus (DEV) (pUL49.5) has not been reported. In the current study, the DEV pUL49.5 gene was first subjected to molecular characterization. To verify the predicted intracellular localization of gene expression, the recombinant plasmid pEGFP-C1/pUL49.5 was constructed and used to transfect duck embryo fibroblasts. Next, the recombinant plasmid pDsRed1-N1/ glycoprotein M (gM) was produced and used for co-transfection with the pEGFP-C1/pUL49.5 plasmid to determine whether DEV pUL49.5 and gM (a conserved protein in herpesviruses) colocalize. DEV pUL49.5 was thought to be an envelope glycoprotein with a signal peptide and two transmembrane domains. This protein was also predicted to localize in the cytoplasm and endoplasmic reticulum with a probability of 66.7%. Images taken by a fluorescence microscope at different time points revealed that the DEV pUL49.5 and gM proteins were both expressed in the cytoplasm. Overlap of the two different fluorescence signals appeared 12 h after transfection and continued to persist until the end of the experiment. These data indicate a possible interaction between DEV pUL49.5 and gM.